Linguistic Differences are Influenced by Socioeconomic Position and Cultural Norms

Two studies examine the relationship between socioeconomic position and culture and the “qualities of the interactions children have and the pace of their language development.” In the first research, “a nationwide sample of 3-year-olds was examined to determine the relationship between family SES, features of mother child-directed speech, and the increase of children's vocabulary.” Study two examines the relationship between mother's education, mother's “language teaching techniques, and the development of children's vocabulary and grammar in a sample of 3–5-year?olds in the nation.” To put it another way, these studies show how children's social and cultural environments might influence their language development over time.